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Chris Long bags a brace as Brentford hammer Huddersfield 4-1

Alex Pritchard celebrates scoring his sides second goal
Image: Alex Pritchard: On the scoresheet for Brentford

Brentford moved back into the Sky Bet Championship play-off places with an emphatic 4-1 win over mid-table Huddersfield.

A full debut brace for Everton loanee Chris Long and strikes from Alex Pritchard and Jon Toral clinched the points after Harry Bunn had levelled for the visitors early on.

Long took just four minutes to break the deadlock, running at the visitors defence before smashing a blistering shot past stunned Terriers goalkeeper Alex Smithies.

Bunn equalised midway through the half when he found a yard on the edge of the box and drilled an angled drive just inside the far post.

Brentford looked far livelier after the break and restored the lead, Jota leaving three defenders in his wake before seeing his drive parried by Smithies only as far as Long who rifled the loose ball into the roof of the net.

On-loan Tottenham midfielder Pritchard made it three on 70 minutes with a deflected curling effort which looped over Smithies and in.

Brentford laid siege to the Town goal from the hour mark onwards and, after two goal-line clearances, Toral volleyed home from the edge of the box in stoppage time.

It was no more than a dominant Bees side deserved against a rugged Huddersfield outfit, who seemed determined to play on the counter-attack from the outset.

After his breakthrough strike Long almost made it two 10 minutes in, only a point-blank stop from Smithies denying the livewire defender after he had raced on to Toumani Diagouraga's through-ball.

Bunn's equaliser signalled Town's intent to attack when they were behind, but the striker's goading of the Griffin Park fans saw him lucky to escape a card.

Before the interval the Bees looked lacklustre on a pitch that got harder as the game wore on, but they rediscovered their attacking flair after the break.

Substitute Andre Gray powered his way through the Town defence only to see his low drive find the side-netting as Mark Warburton's team tried to improve their goal difference.

Pritchard and Jota both fired high and wide when well placed in the dying minutes before substitute Tommy Smith also tested Smithies low to his right.

The keeper saved his best almost for last, going full length to deny a dipping and curling Pritchard free-kick almost on the whistle.

Jacob Butterfield cleared off the line deep in stoppage time but the ball dropped invitingly for Toral, who belted it home from the edge of the box to give the scoreline a realistic look.

Huddersfield threatened little throughout, their only worthwhile effort at goal a long-distance drive from James Vaughan which was palmed wide by Bees goalkeeper David Button.

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